Improving Workplace Inclusivity

Another year, another IWD, another excruciating glacial change. In too many corporations, DEI 1.0 was performative, compliance-driven, and largely cosmetic. It was about ticking boxes, setting up Employee Resource Groups, and releasing glossy annual reports—without tackling the real structural and cultural barriers that prevent equity in the first place. DEI leads were hired but weren't given real power (or budget). Diversity targets were set but the way talent was identified, hired, or promoted were rooted in the 90s. Unconscious bias training rolled out but biased systems were untouched. What's the ONE thing we should start doing today? 🔹 Stop fixing women, and start fixing the system For years, we’ve focused on equipping women with leadership training and networking skills. While these are valuable, they won’t create lasting change if the system itself remains unchanged. At a bare minimum, we must: ✅ Redesign hiring and promotion processes to ensure fair opportunities ✅ Normalize flexible work arrangements to match the reality of work/life integration ✅ Tie leadership KPIs to relevant diversity goals that tell the whole story (not just the number of women!) In my work making change happen in large organizations, I’ve seen firsthand how these strategic shifts can unlock greater innovation, retention, and performance. The future belongs to organizations that make equity a business priority—not just an HR one. I'd love to hear how your company is shaping a more equitable world. Let’s share and learn from each other. #IWD25 #LinkedInNewsAustralia #GenderEquity #Leadership #DiversityAndInclusion #FutureOfWork

When extremists come up with phrases like "your body my choice," they are hoping to normalize these kinds of threats, hate, and harrassment within public discourse. To stop this behavior, all of us need to become confident in our ability to reinforce healthy norms in our workplaces and communities. Here's what you need to know. 1. Norms are more powerful than rules. Norms are unspoken expectations for communication and behavior that are shared by members of a community; rules are codified expectations imposed on a community. If a community has normalized rowdy and unmoderated debates, a rule of "one person speaks at a time" will have no effect. 2. Norms that go unenforced are easy to change. If a person arrives ten minutes late to a meeting and nothing happens, what was once a norm of punctuality might quickly become a new norm of "all meetings start ten minutes late." But if that person immediately faces social and professional consequences for not being punctual, the norm of punctuality is strengthened instead. 3. Enforcing a norm requires individual status or collective power. If a coworker spreads harmful gossip, the disapproval of their colleague one desk over means little. The disapproval of the most highly respected employee in the office, or a large enough subset of their colleagues, sends a dramatically different message. 4. Enforcing a norm involves using status and power to make norm violations socially and professionally painful. Disinviting a violent and verbally abusive friend from future gatherings enforces a norm of safety among a friend group. Terminating a worker because of a workplace hate incident enforces a norm of inclusion among a workplace. Laughing (yes, laughing!) at an attempt to cut corners enforces a norm of quality among a team. 5. Strengthening a norm also involves valuing and incentivizing behavior aligned with it. Celebrating and promoting an employee who goes out of their way to help others strengthens the norm of collaboration. Telling positive stories about members of a community that stayed true to their ethical commitments, even in the face of hardship strengthens a norm of ethical behavior. Our workplace and community norms of mutual respect, safety, and inclusion are being challenged now and will likely continue to be challenged throughout the next several years. If we do not want our workplaces to become places where disrespect, fear, abuse, and exclusion are normal, than this is THE MOST important moment for us all to act. Not with stern finger-wagging or dismayed social media posts. Not with blue bracelets or attempts to assuage our own guilt. 💡 Our charge is to put everything we have into enforcing healthy norms. To quash norm violations by making them socially and professionally painful. To use our status and power to reward the behavior we want to see. To organize as a collective, rather than individuals, for the benefit of all of us. 💡 Let's get to work.

99% of companies will celebrate women and their achievements today. 99% of companies will talk about empowerment. 1% that will tackle the real issues: 👇 1️⃣ Limited Representation in Decision-Making Women continue to be underrepresented in places where key decisions are being made, resulting in decisions that do not reflect diverse perspectives and priorities. 2️⃣ Unclear Performance Criteria Women often face subjective performance evaluations that lack transparency, leading to disparities in opportunities for advancement and recognition. 3️⃣ Double Standards Gender biases create unequal expectations and treatment, where assertiveness in men may be praised as leadership while the same trait in women is labeled as aggressive or bossy, hampering their professional growth. 4️⃣ Authority Gap Despite qualifications and competence, women encounter barriers to accessing positions of authority, including unconscious biases, lack of mentorship opportunities, and entrenched gender norms that hinder their progress. 👉 To truly empower women in the workplace, it's imperative for companies to confront and address these structural barriers. I hope that today you are in that 1% of companies that will challenge the status quo and pave the way for meaningful change.

If you REALLY want to support women in the workplace, you need to start: → Offering flexible work arrangements, especially to support mothers. → Encouraging women to go for internal promotions → Paying women fairly and transparently → Creating environments where women’s voices are heard → Calling out microaggressions and biases when you see them → Offering leadership training and mentorship for women → Rethinking how performance and ambition are measured (not just who shouts the loudest) → Making networking and career progression opportunities accessible to all → Championing women even when they’re not in the room → Reviewing your hiring and promotion processes to eliminate bias → Creating policies that support women through all life stages (not just maternity leave) → Holding senior leaders accountable for diversity and inclusion goals → Ensuring workplace policies support women’s health, including menopause and period policies International Women’s Day should be about real, tangible action. Too often, we see businesses celebrating IWD while their leadership teams are still male-dominated, pay gaps persist and workplace policies don’t support women’s real needs. So, if you’re a business leader, hiring manager, or even a colleague... Ask yourself: What are you actually doing to make the workplace more equitable for women? 🤔

Reading this article is incredibly painful. The findings from the Coqual report only serve to highlight the ongoing struggles faced by #GenderNonConforming people in the #workplace. It's deeply hurtful to see that a majority of #GenderDiverse people experience negative #stereotypes and uncomfortable #social interactions solely because of who they are. These statistics, particularly the fact that almost half of #transgender #professionals in the U.S. have been told their gender non-conformity is "just a phase" and are consistently #misgendered, resonate with the daily challenges and invalidation that many endure. Being made to feel like an inconvenience or being told that our #identity is not legitimate takes an immense toll on our mental #WellBeing and our ability to perform at #work. The fear of being out in the workplace due to concerns about #career advancement and job security is a reality many face daily. The survey's findings that a significant portion of LGBTQ+ #employees worry about losing their jobs because of their #SexualOrientation or have experienced anti-LGBTQ+ comments in their workplace reflects the persistent #discrimination and hostility that exist. Lanaya Irvin's call for #organizations to implement more #GenderInclusive #policies, programs, and management strategies is crucial. Genuine change starts with creating spaces where everyone, regardless of their #GenderIdentity or sexual orientation, feels respected, valued, and safe. However, this change requires collective effort. It's not solely the responsibility of #marginalized people to #educate or fight against discrimination. It's incumbent upon organizations, #leadership, and #society to challenge #biases, dismantle systemic barriers, and foster an environment where #diversity is not just tolerated but genuinely embraced and celebrated. As a trans man, seeing these statistics and stories of discrimination hurts deeply. Still, it also strengthens my determination to #advocate for change and push for more #inclusive spaces where individuals of all gender identities and sexual orientations can thrive without fear of #prejudice or discrimination. And for those who have said you don't understand why so many trans people struggle to find jobs, perhaps this article will help you understand.

One in five British men have no problem using sexist language. Only 14% feel comfortable calling it out when they hear it. Yet over 50% agree that sexist language can be hurtful. The math doesn't add up, does it? CPB London's "Double Standards" campaign exposes something we all know but rarely discuss: the casual sexism hiding in everyday language. The campaign's effectiveness is its simplicity: it shows the stark visual contrast between how we describe the same behavior in men versus women. Their research, conducted by Locaria, revealed the uncomfortable truth about why men use sexist language: → To "be funny" → To show camaraderie and bond with others → To fit in with group dynamics This isn't just about hurt feelings. Language shapes reality. When we casually use words that diminish women, we're not just being "harmlessly" inappropriate. We're reinforcing the very barriers that keep women from reaching their potential. Every "bossy" instead of "decisive." Every "emotional" instead of "passionate." Every piece of casual sexist banter that gets laughed off. It adds up to create environments where women have to work twice as hard to be taken seriously. This isn't just an English-speaking problem. Locaria confirmed that similar double standards exist across French, Arabic, German, Mandarin, Japanese, Italian, and Spanish. This is global. Systemic. Embedded in how we communicate across cultures. Their "Pledge for Positivity" asks people to: → Watch out for hidden sexism in everyday language → Create safe spaces for discussion without finger-pointing → Research the sexist phrases people around them use most → Call out sexist language with sensitivity → Recognize that "harmless banter" isn't harmless What I love about this approach: it's not about shame or blame. It's about awareness and action. Because most sexist language is used unconsciously. People genuinely don't realise the impact of their words. But once you see it, you can't unsee it. The question becomes: what are you going to do about it? Have you noticed double standards in the language used around you? What examples stand out? ♻️ Found this helpful? Repost to share with your network. ⚡ Want more content like this? Hit follow Maya Moufarek.

𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰'𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬! At a recent leadership conference, I was shocked to see that only 30% of attendees were women, reflecting a broader issue: the gender gap in leadership. This highlights a significant problem in our workplaces. Statistics reveal that women hold only about 30% of leadership roles globally, and it will take an estimated 132 years to close this gap, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2022. Additionally, women are often underrepresented as speakers at conferences, comprising just 30.1% of speakers in a recent study of 98 conferences. So, why is this happening? Traditional gender roles, lack of mentorship, and unconscious bias in hiring and promotions all contribute to the low representation of women in leadership. Women are also more likely to leave their careers mid-way due to these challenges. To change this narrative, organizations can take several steps: 📌Promote Gender Diversity: Actively seek to hire and promote women. 📌Offer Mentorship Programs: Connect women with mentors to provide guidance and support. 📌Provide Bias Training: Educate teams about unconscious bias to create fairer hiring practices. 📌Create an Inclusive Culture: Celebrate diverse voices and ensure everyone feels valued. By pushing for gender parity in leadership, we can foster innovation and better decision-making. It’s time to make gender equality a reality in our workplaces! LinkedIn LinkedIn Creator's Club LinkedIn News India LinkedIn News World Economic Forum World Economic Magazine Womenpreneur India #workplace #equality #genderdiversity #leadership

Sustainable agriculture: #Gender #responsive farm equipments. Growing up in an area where maize (corn) is grown on both large and small scale, tractors and other heavy farm equipments are used in the maize value chain. I've never seen a single woman driving a tractor cultivating land or any other farm work, because mostly these farm equipments are designed with a tall, heavy and strong male body in mind. Women already face many barriers in agriculture, access to and use of farm equipments and technology is on the top. Women play an important role in the sustenance of agricultural system and they have to be involved in the process of new technologies that are eco-sustenance. Designing farm equipments and other technologies that are gender responsive while considering the specific needs, preferences of women in the agricultural sector is paramount. This potato planting farm equipment👇 is quite gender responsive, it's ideal for small scale farmers especially women, easy to use, It's fast and can save on time and does not require a lot of energy to keep it running. What to be done: ✓Involve men and women in design process. ✓User centred design approach focusing on end user's needs and experiences. ✓Design products that can be easily adapted to different tasks and farm sizes. ✓Design affordable products that cater to the financial capacities for small scale farmers. ✓Prioritize safety features in product design considering the different physique of men and women. Follow Regina Wangare, let's keep practical sustainable programme/project initiatives conversations going. 💪❤️

When Moms First was starting out, a lot of people asked me: Why moms? Why not all parents? This is why: https://lnkd.in/eh3gqwPm ------ "This month, the U.S. Census Bureau published a bombshell finding: The gender wage gap just got wider for the first time in two decades ‒ with women now earning just 83 cents to a man’s dollar. That’s maddening. But, for moms at least, it’s hardly surprising. It’s next to impossible to balance work and family in this country ‒ and as this new data shows, women are taking the hit. As the cost of child care continues to soar, women will just keep falling further behind. On paper, there’s no reason to believe that women should be earning less than men. Girls are more likely to graduate from high school and more likely to hold a bachelor’s degree. More women than men go to law school and medical school, and women’s enrollment in MBA programs has reached record highs. In fact, women do earn nearly as much as men ‒ at least early in their careers. On average, women in their late 20s and early 30s are much closer to parity, taking home at least 90 cents on the dollar compared with the guys sitting next to them at graduation or new hire orientation. Then, when women hit their mid-30s, something changes. The pay gap gets wider. It’s no coincidence that that’s precisely when women are most likely to be raising kids. All of a sudden, women are forced to make very hard choices to manage the demands of work and family. As the founder of Moms First, I’ve heard versions of this story from more women than I can count. Maybe mom drops down to part-time so she can make it to school pickup. Or maybe she switches to a new job that pays less but offers more flexible hours. Or maybe she drops out of the workforce entirely, because the cost of day care would have outpaced her salary anyway. Make no mistake, we are talking about moms here. When women are paid less than men anyway (and, in the case of Black and Hispanic women, way less), deprioritizing their careers can feel like the only logical decision, even if it isn’t what they wanted. This creates a vicious cycle, where pay inequity begets more pay inequity ‒ and women are systematically excluded from economic opportunities. At the same time, while women experience a motherhood penalty, men experience a fatherhood premium ‒ working more hours and reaping bigger rewards than those without kids. As Nobel laureate Claudia Goldin put it, when describing her pioneering research on the pay gap, 'Women often step back, and the men in their lives step forward.' Because here’s the thing: The 'choice' to step back from the workforce isn’t much of a choice at all. If grandma isn’t around to pitch in and child care costs more than rent, what other option do you have?"

Prof. Claudia Goldin made history by becoming the first woman to win a solo Nobel Prize in Economics. She was recognized for her ground-breaking work on the key drivers behind gender differences in the labour market. Goldin’s work shows that although historical factors such as disparities in education have narrowed in modern times, the earnings gap between men and women remains.   One reason for this is a lack of opportunities. This is where behavioural science may be able to help by identifying implicit biases and engineering a choice architecture to help tackle them.   Acknowledging the difficulty in proving that discrimination on the basis of gender in the workforce exists, Goldin and her colleagues at Harvard University turned their attention to one occupation which attempted to combat gender-biased hiring – musicians.   Before 1980, none of the “Big 5” symphony orchestras in the U.S. contained more than 12% female musicians due to both implicit and explicit biases in the hiring process. To combat these, orchestras began implementing “blind” auditions – that is, the candidate performed behind a screen so that the committee could not identify them as male or female.   This helped a little, but less than expected until they added a carpet.   What?   It turned out that the committee could hear the click of women’s shoes as they walked on stage and even that was sufficient to bias their decisions!   Analyzing data from 11 orchestras who implemented these changes revealed some shocking statistics. By hiding the identity of the musician in the audition, there was a 50% increased likelihood of a female musician progressing to the next round of auditions.   Goldin further estimated that blind auditions accounted for about 25% of the increase in the number of female orchestra musicians from 1970 to 1996. (Other factors like training more female musicians also contributed to this growth).   So, what does this teach us? 👉 Being blind to the #gender (as well as to other things like race) can improve impartiality in #hiring 👉 Biases are persistent and creep into decision making through the smallest of gaps (e.g. no carpet!) 👉 A carefully designed choice architecture can help to mitigate hiring biases and enhance #equity in the workplace Do you know of other innovative ways organisations are changing hiring processes to be as unbiased as possible?   #DiversityAndInclusion